Midway through Wednesday morning's practice, Brandin Cooks ran a quick out route to the sideline. There was a window of separation between the cornerback. Then came the football.

It slipped right through Cooks' hands.

"That's the first one!" Bobby Hebert, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback, noted as he stood a few feet away. "The pass was behind him a little bit, but he still should have caught it. That's the first drop he's had all camp."

Cooks, drafted 20th overall, has drawn rave reviews as an undeniable star-in-the-making with his soft hands, electrifying acceleration and acrobatic receptions. During Saturday's scrimmage, he scored once by exploding down the sideline for a 30-yard TD; the other one came on a 40-yard fall-away haul as he landed on his back.

A compact package (5-10, 189) with track-honed speed (4.33 in the 40), he has been everything that was advertised.

Playing at Oregon State for a former NFL coach, Mike Riley, Cooks led the nation last season with 1,730 yards on 128 receptions, with 16 TDs.

"He doesn't look overwhelmed," Hebert said. "What helps him? The system at Oregon State. A lot of the things they do are very similar to NFL stuff. The concepts helped him a lot."

This equates to the perfect pick for the Saints' prolific offense, trying to replenish the skilled-position impact lost with the departures of running back Darren Sproles and slot receiver Lance Moore.

Of all the places Cooks could have landed, he wound up with Drew Brees as his quarterback and coach Sean Payton as his architect. He can draw from the savvy Marques Colston and find seams while defenses figure out how to double-team tight-receiver Jimmy Graham.

"Right now, it's about building blocks," Cooks told USA TODAY Sports. "I want to learn, work on my craft. Obviously, on the NFL level, I've got to get a better feel for how guys will play me."

Cooks knows all about the checkered history of NFL rookie receivers. Since 1999, just five rookie receivers have cracked 1,000 yards. Last season, no rookie ranked among the top 20 in the league for receptions or receiving yards.

Not everyone blows it up like Randy Moss – who put up his career highs in averaging 19 yards per catch and leading the NFL with 17 receiving TDs as a rookie in 1998.

For every Moss, Julio Jones or A.J. Green, dozens have struggled early. It takes time. Wide receiver is one of the toughest positions to make the transition to the NFL level. Beyond the system and quarterback a receiver lands with, factors include a more complex game and tighter, more physical coverage from defensive backs.

"I want to say it's a level of intelligence," Cooks suspects of the obstacles some have encountered, referring to football IQ. "Because they obviously have ability. But it's more about how you're studying film, how you're seeing your opponents and doing the little things."

Payton is impressed with Cooks' ability to pick up his system, but tempered his praise Wednesday by pointing out "a plethora things that we're working on." Like techniques. Alignments. Two-minute calls. Hand signals. So many nuances. It's a process.

It has worked both ways. Colston, a seventh-round draft pick in 2006, jump-started his career with a 70-catch, 1,038-yard rookie season. Robert Meachem, on the other hand, was a first-round pick in 2007, and was inactive for all 16 games as a rookie before catching 12 passes in his second season. Kenny Stills broke in as a fifth-round pick last season, and wound up averaging 20 yards on his 32 receptions.

Payton sees Stills' progress as a template for the approach with Cooks.

"You start with a small menu to sink our teeth into, then expand from there," Payton told USA TODAY Sports during organized team workouts in June.

Cooks – whom teammates praise for a mature comportment reminiscent of a seasoned veteran-- came to camp in catch-up after missing the OTAs due to an NFL rule that prevents rookies from reporting before their college school year was completed.

With Oregon State on the quarters system, many of his early lessons in learning the playbook came with Facetime sessions with position coach Henry Ellard.

Then there was the most significant ground covered during about two weeks' worth of workouts with Brees in Southern California before camp. That's one way to get a jump on the rookie learning curve, which has continued in camp.

More tests await. A key indicator will come with the manner in which Cooks – who has been working in the slot, outside and as a kick returner -- is able to use his speed to get off the line of scrimmage against physical coverage.

"If we see that as a challenge, if it's a size issue with someone bigger trying to get hands on him, then it's our job to move him, stack him, help him with his release patterns," Payton told USA TODAY Sports. "You put him in a position where he's not an easy target."